Roger Charlton wants Bated Breath to win Group One after Haydock success
Trainer Roger Charlton is confident that Bated Breath will present an even better performance at Royal Ascot than the one he displayed at Haydock last Saturday. Charlton was delighted to see his charge making his seasonal comeback on a winning note.
In the Betfred.com Temple Stakes, the 5-year-old came up with a splendid effort, sealing the top position by a neck’s distance. After tracking the leaders early on, the horse ran keenly to put his rivals under immense pressure.
Sole Power tried to surpass him in the final furlong, but Charlton’s trainee was lucky to seize the first position by a slight margin. The hander is quite pleased with the way his horse performed in the Group 2 race, but does not want to be complacent.
He expects Bated Breath to show an improved show in his Group One appearance at Royal Ascot next month. The dashing runner narrowly missed the crown in three Group 1 races over six furlongs last year.
The K. Abdulla-owned holds entries both for the King's Stand Stakes and the Diamond Jubilee Stakes. Black Caviar, who has 21 straight wins under her belt, is red hot favourite for the Diamond Jubilee Stakes and no one is likely to challenge her over six
furlongs.
So, after a fantastic Group 2 win over five furlongs, Bated Breath is all set try his luck in the King's Stand Stakes. Charlton said:
"He's fine this morning and we're all very pleased with him. There was quite a lot of pressure as we did need to win a Group race with him at some stage, so at least we've got that box ticked.
"He has enough speed to lead the fastest horses around and two furlongs down the others were flat to the boards. In the past we have trained him to run over six furlongs and getting him to settle and other than the Nunthorpe, when he was drawn on the wrong
side, we haven't gone down the five-furlong avenue,” he added.
Although Bated Breath is yet to open his account in the Group One events, he has so far won six races including three consecutive wins at the start of his career.
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